Thinking about buying an X5

[cobra94563]

Yes, I think the aerodynamics are much worst than say a sedan.

The other piece, I believe, is engine speed. The 6 speed seems to shift to top gear rather quickly. At 60mph, I tach at less than 2000rpm and the engine is hardly working. At 80, tach is ~26-2700? Of course, going faster, but making more HP than really needed. I suppose the variable valve timing may have kicked too?

Some of the mercedes 7 sp trannys are really efficient in saving gas. Really tach low at cruising speed. So, If you want to drive economical - drive slower.

[JVegas]

However, the faster you drive the quicker you get to your destination -- or does the tortoise really beat the hare ?

[Ski-me]

Hey thanks guys for all the help. I've been sending PM's to a few of you and really appreciate your advice. My wife was able to drive a local Sport model and found the seats to be too stiff and uncomfortable however, the standard one felt great. The second (local) vehicle appears to fit the bill but we are still working on price with the dealer. My wife is very good and practical.....if it's not a good price, it's not worth it (thanks Dave Ramsey)!

2006, X5, 4.4, No NAV, White w/ tan interior. My wife said it drove really nice and now does like the V8. We'll see how the day goes. Thanks again.

If I wanted to add XM and I-Pod capabilities, is the BSW the way to go? I emailed Zach and he did mention the standard radio was easier to connect to than the NAV unit.

[Ski-me]

Well, we didn't get the 06' 4.4 X5. Dealer asking price was $33,900 (100k Warranty) with 29k miles and after a lot of back and forth, their end result was $33,500 plus dealer handling charges and taxes......I bet the dealer handling charges were close to $400. Our offer was $32,000 cash.

Anyways, it was in great shape, no flaws but they really didn't want to sell it yet. It did just get certified the day we tested it so it's pretty fresh on the lot. I guess they weren't too anxious to get it sold yet. The sales lady said their cost was $32,500 and wanted at least a $1,000 profit. I find that profit margin pretty hard to believe.

Anyways, we'll keep looking and thanks again!

[JWalker]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

Well, we didn't get the 06' 4.4 X5. Dealer asking price was $33,900 (100k Warranty) with 29k miles and after a lot of back and forth, their end result was $33,500 plus dealer handling charges and taxes......I bet the dealer handling charges were close to $400. Our offer was $32,000 cash.

Anyways, it was in great shape, no flaws but they really didn't want to sell it yet. It did just get certified the day we tested it so it's pretty fresh on the lot. I guess they weren't too anxious to get it sold yet. The sales lady said their cost was $32,500 and wanted at least a $1,000 profit. I find that profit margin pretty hard to believe.

Anyways, we'll keep looking and thanks again!

Just to chime in (being in Colorado and all )...

There's no way they have $32K into a 2006 X5, especially if they've had it for less than a month. Was this at Murray Motors in Denver? They're notorious for way overinflating their used car prices.

As far as gas mileage is concerned on my 2005 4.4 sport: since November of last year and 7,000 miles, I'm right at 18.7 mpg overall. Current tank is at 21.6 mpg (300 miles into it), and that's running 85+ mph on the highway in high winds. I have double checked the OBC readout vs. calculating it manually, and it seems to be consistently within .3 to .5 mpg. And this is with altitude and snow driving as a huge factor; I think the 6 speed tranny must help a lot.

As far as nav vs. no nav... I specifically looked for one without it, largely due to the outdated interface and the significant cost to replace the display unit out of warranty should it fail... Any $300 handheld nav unit will outperform the E53 X5 one many times over at a fraction of the cost.

Good luck with your search!

P.S. Try to find one with a hitch.

[Ski-me]

Originally Posted by JWalker

Just to chime in (being in Colorado and all )...

There's no way they have $32K into a 2006 X5, especially if they've had it for less than a month. Was this at Murray Motors in Denver? They're notorious for way overinflating their used car prices.

As far as gas mileage is concerned on my 2005 4.4 sport: since November of last year and 7,000 miles, I'm right at 18.7 mpg overall. Current tank is at 21.6 mpg (300 miles into it), and that's running 85+ mph on the highway in high winds. I have double checked the OBC readout vs. calculating it manually, and it seems to be consistently within .3 to .5 mpg. And this is with altitude and snow driving as a huge factor; I think the 6 speed tranny must help a lot.

As far as nav vs. no nav... I specifically looked for one without it, largely due to the outdated interface and the significant cost to replace the display unit out of warranty should it fail... Any $300 handheld nav unit will outperform the E53 X5 one many times over at a fraction of the cost.

Good luck with your search!

P.S. Try to find one with a hitch.

That's funny....Yes, it was Murray Motors in Denver.

I agree, unless the dealer says their price is a "no dicker" price, they have room to negotiate.

I did call Schomp BMW yesterday and asked what they had in stock. The lady was much more personable (non-sales talk type person) and said she would look and email me anything they might have or could possibly get from other sources. She also said their price is a no-dicker price. She told me this up front so I know now what to expect. We'll see if she is able to find anything.

Otherwise, the search goes on.

Thanks for the mileage confirmation. It's nice to hear you are getting decent mileage with the 4.4. Also, the hitch isn't crucial but it would be nice to have if she wanted to pull the boat up to Idaho for the summer or use our rear hitch bike rack.

[nasdakboy]

Definitely keep looking. There are much better deals out there. Just my opinion on the whole thing. I absolutely love my fiance's X5 although I'm not much of a truck kind of guy. She went from a Pathfinder which we had when we first bought our house in 04' and it was great having an SUV. Then she got a Volvo S40 and I had to start asking friends and family to borrow they're SUV's to pick things up from Home Depot and such so we kinda realized that it was a great convenience having one. We have the 4.4i with sport package and the ride is a bit harsh. I personally don't mind it since I love the tighter and more confident handling. All my 3-series coupes have had sport package and my 02' 330 coupe had an aftermarket suspension as well. I like tight handling cars period. It may get a little too much for my fiance once in awhile but the 3.0 is definitely smoother and quieter. Only thing I will say is that driving the 4.4 with the window open even slightly gives me a hard on every time I accelerate. What a great engine and exhaust note! Barely touch the gas and she really moves where as you kinda have to mash the pedal on the 3.0 so I can see why the gas mileage is comparable. I think my fiance would have liked a 3.0 with sport package over the 4.4 alittle more. She could care less about performance but she does still love her truck. Very comfortable when cruising as well. What really made us go with the 4.4 was the fact that the gas mileage was similar and the 19" wheels on the 4.4 and exhaust note was the real decision maker. So far no problems with the X5 however this is my third BMW and I have not a single issue with any of them as of yet nor has anyone in my family. Then again I do feel that I have pretty good luck with cars. I'm 30 years old now and my BMW coupe is my 9th car and none have given me any problems whatsoever with the exception to my 69' Camaro which is pretty much expected. Good luck in your search and keep us posted! You will like whichever you choose regardless

[anerbe]

You can get deals out there - mine was a single owner lease return from a doctor who leases every 2-3 years from the same dealer for over 15 years. I found the car on BMWUSA CPO search, where they got it 2 days prior and didn't even take pictures yet. they were surprised I knew about it.

Suggestion - search online and keep track on vehicles for sale. When you can determine quickly whether the car has been on sale for a long time, or if it was just posted, your deals can come from the new ones. The ones that don't sell - there's a reason behind it.

[nasdakboy]

Originally Posted by anerbe

I picked up my 06 4.4i w/ prem, cwp, rear heat seats, prem sound, NAV, etc.....everything but sport and adjust. suspen. with 42K miles, CPO w/ 0.9% financing for 26.0K + Tax only.

You can get deals out there - this was a single owner lease return from a doctor who leases every 2-3 years from the same dealer for over 15 years. I found the car on BMWUSA CPO search, where they got it 2 days prior and didn't even take pictures yet. they were surprised I knew about it.

Suggestion - search online and keep track on vehicles for sale. When you can determine quickly whether the car has been on sale for a long time, or if it was just posted, your deals can come from the new ones. The ones that don't sell - there's a reason behind it.

Same exact thing happened to me. I searched the CPO X5's on bmwusa and found one with a price that was too good to be true. I called the dealership and the salesman didn't even know they had it in. Got the truck for $24,900. Same deal. First 2 payments on BMW, 0.9%

Has navi, bluetooth, truffle two-tone interior, sport package, cold weather package, sliding rear load floor, and not really sure what else. Wish it had the adjustable suspension though. The lower the better in my book Funny though because the salesman pulled up the history on the car and it was registered to a Dr. James something from upstate NY.

[X5 Meister]

Hey how about posting some photos. Sounds like you got a nice one!

Originally Posted by nasdakboy

Same exact thing happened to me. I searched the CPO X5's on bmwusa and found one with a price that was too good to be true. I called the dealership and the salesman didn't even know they had it in. Got the truck for $24,900. Same deal. First 2 payments on BMW, 0.9%

Has navi, bluetooth, truffle two-tone interior, sport package, cold weather package, sliding rear load floor, and not really sure what else. Wish it had the adjustable suspension though. The lower the better in my book Funny though because the salesman pulled up the history on the car and it was registered to a Dr. James something from upstate NY.